Suikoden: Eclipse
by LauncesMechinist
Summary: For Thomas Cree, exploration was a hobby; something he did for fun whenever he wasn't running his trading company. However, after finding Sindar Ruins in his homeland of Tinto, and seeing Leknaat, he is convinced that the Rune upon his hand means something. Suikoden compilation, many previous SoDs and new OC's will appear. Takes place 10 years after Suikoden 3. WILL REWRITE.
1. Arrival

Hello everyone! As all of you know, I am a HUGE Suikoden fan, although I have not played 1 or 2 yet. I hope you all enjoy it and as always, reviews are welcome!

And now, on with the story!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE SUIKODEN UNIVERSE. ONLY MY OC'S.

Prologue: Arrival

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The light of the Estrise lighthouses illuminated the sea and also shown light on the outline of the incoming ship. The storm was unrelenting, rain pounded the deck and soaked the sails and anyone who was on deck. As lightning arced overhead, the captain of the _Intrepid_ breathed a sigh of relief to his first mate.

"Tell our passenger we've arrived, and tell the men not to jump ship until the cargo is off-loaded storm or no storm."

The first mate saluted and ran from the enclosed bridge and down the gangway to the lower deck. He passed down a corridor and approached a room in the back of the ship. Normally, this room was the Captain's quarters, however, with this passenger it was only common courtesy he get the best room.

The first mate knocked twice and waited. A moment later a voice, strong yet kind, came through.

"Enter."

The first mate entered and saluted to the passenger. He was a middle aged man, quite tall, average yet somewhat muscular build. He carried himself like a noble though in fact he was a merchant. Although to call him a simple merchant was a mistake. The man turned and faced the first mate, his facial hair grown during the long voyage made him look older than he was. The first mate nodded.

"We've reached Estrise safe and sound Mr. Cree. Again sir, it was an honor to have the owner of Cree Land and Sea Trading on board. Although, I find my curiosity as to why you didn't take one of your usual ships; why is that sir?"

The man nodded and sighed. These men on this ship had sailed through a storm and fought off three pirate attacks for him to get here. They at least deserved to know why they had risked their lives so. He knew the first mate's name as Josh, so he spoke in an informal tone.

"The reason is Josh that someone is hunting me. Although yes as I stated my buisness in Falena is to set up a branch office. The simple fact is that I cannot remain in one place for long. I know not who is after me, however, I simply cannot wait for my death to come to me. I thank you and the the Captain of this vessel for bearing me this far. Now I must continue to Sol-Falena."

The first mate, though stunned by what he had just heard, nodded and stepped aside. Donning his raincoat, Thomas Cree stepped out of the room and went down the hall towards the gangplank to shore.

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A lone figure watched Cree depart from the ship. A young man, to anyone's eyes he would appear as a young adult, the truth is he was far older than that. Rain poured off his cloak as he moved forward. For him it was now or never: he leapt forward as Cree passed and stabbed at the cloaked figure following him.

The assassin yelled as the man's blades pierced his chest bringing Cree around, longsword drawn. Cree lowered his weapon as he saw the man withdraw and sheathe the twin blades, then turn to him. The man's voice broke the monotony of the rainfall.

"Thomas Cree?" Cree nodded unsure of what was going on. The man pulled back his hood revealing short cut brown hair, an aged red bandana tied around his head. He eyed Cree then nodded grimly.

"I recieved word that you had fled Tinto after an assassination attempt. I knew Falena was the only country besides Nagarea and Gaien that you didn't have trade agreements with. Given your desire to become the first world wide trading buisness, I figured you'd come here, damn the risks and consequences." Cree looked at him oddly.

"You find me at a loss for words sir. I thank you for saving my life but I also find myself worried. Who are you and why did you save me?" The man chuckled.

"The answer as to the act of it, you are the son of a good man and have helped many people and countries. You recently helped the people of Zexan and Grasslands recover from their war with Harmonia, before that you and your father helped Toran and before that Dunan. Your father lent a little support to Falena after their civil war. The 'why' of it is much more simple: your left hand."

Cree looked immediately concerned; he had told no one of his left hand. He glanced to make sure no one was listening, then whispered.

"How do you know this?" The man smiled.

"Because Leknaat says that those who wield True Runes can sense when another Rune Bearer is nearby. Your rune has a very distict aura about it. I trust you know of what I speak?"

Cree looked to his hand and then to the man.

"Who are you? How did you know about the Shining Light Rune?" The man held up his left hand and caused his rune to pulsate from red-black to white-blue.

"As I said, I too have one of the twenty seven True Runes. I am Lazlo En Culdes, and I have borne the Rune of Punishment for over one-hundred thirty years."

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Here it is! My Suikoden fanfic! Admittedly, I've only played III, IV, Tactics, V, and Tierkries but I made sure to do my research before starting this.

First off, this fanfic will only take place in the original Suikoden world. (Meaning only countries and Stars from I, II, III, IV, and V will appear.) As I am familiar with 3, 4, and 5 only the majority of the stars will be from those games. I may make a few OC Stars to flesh out the story some.

Reviews will help me prioritize how often I update as I still have other projects to work on. If you like what you read, please update and review. Enough reviews will mean more often updates.

As a foot note: I read a list of the True Runes revealed in the games. Only 18 of the 27 True Runes are known so it is possible that one is called the Shining Light Rune. I may need help getting the timeline straight, I know that Suikoden IV was the earliest and that V took place eighty years after it, then 1 came twenty years after V. I, II, and III happen within five or six years of each other but I'm not 100% sure. This story takes place ten years after the events of Suikoden III.

Again, please rate and review. Visitor comments are welcome, and yes to the inevitable question: Thomas Cree is the Tenkai Star.

Also, the next chapter will be a flashback to where Thomas got the True Rune.


	2. To the Ruins!

Hello everyone! Presenting the new Eclipse chapter! I hope you all like it!

DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE SUIKODEN SERIES. ONLY MY OCS.

Chapter 1: To the Sindar Ruins!

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_(three weeks ago)_

"_Away in the forest we go, we go. Away in the forest we go! Towards the mountain of Ti-nto away into mountains we GO-O-O-O!"_

Thomas, Cutter, and Michael clamped their hands over their ears in a futile effort to drown out both Viktor's _**very**_ out of tune lute and his grating voice. Again Thomas found himself wondering how in the world the tin-eared bard had secured a job with his and his father's trading company. Viktor was born into a musical family and they were _well_ known traveling musicians, yet he was tone deaf. No matter what instrument it was he couldn't play a tune on it. The lute was only the most recent instrument.

When he started with the company, he had a small harp but a the infamous hair trigger temper of Gerard, the company's veteran sea captain, saw the harp de-stringed and sunk. The next was the coronet, but again due to his poor choice (and tone) of music, a hammer blow from Ray, a forge master, saw the brass instrument flattened. The most recent (and horrific) was the bagpipe incident. Viktor had thought it would be funny to climb to a hill outside of Crom and begin playing _'The Brave Knights of Zexan'_. Needless to say, Michael had wrenched the bagpipes from him, punctured the bag, cut off the mouthpiece, and slammed the instrument back over his head. Then again, Michael _was_ technically nursing, according to his own words, 'a helluva hangover from having 'sampling' several different casks and vintages of imported Kanakan whiskeys and spirits to ensure they were what the merchant had said they were. A low moan made Thomas smile, Michael had apparently been drinking again.

Michael was one of his father's best friends and was assigned to Thomas as his bodyguard. The veteran soldier had fought as a foot soldier during the Dunan Unification War, and had also served in Toran. According to what he had heard from his father, after Michael's brother was killed, he left the mercenary life and volunteered his services as a bodyguard. His skills with a sword was said to be some of the best in Tinto. A sudden stop to the music made Tomas start to glance over at Viktor curiously. He was amazed to see the lute fly over his head and crash into a nearby tree, effectively breaking it in half. Viktor was busy trying to break Cutter's nose but having little luck with it, being a good deal shorter than him.

Cutter was the best friend Thomas made since his family moved to Tinto. Not only was Cutter his first friend, he was his closest comrade. Ever since his father had been killed in an assassination three years ago, Cutter and his father Navan had been his family. Cutter was like his father, a wielder of the blade staff and also an expert water rune spellcaster. Navan was the guardian of some Sindar ruins nearby. Due to the structural instability of the ruins, no one had ever set foot in them. Thomas had been working to get materials to reinforce and attempt to repair the Sindar ruins much to the displeasure of a local Sindar expert, a man named Zweig.

He had recieved word this morning that the exploration crew had finished repairs and several chambers had been discovered and opened. Although several other rooms were still closed off, according to Navan, the main hall and primary rooms were sound and could be explored. After managing to fight off Viktor, Cutter came alongside Thomas.

"So, ready to see what the big deal about these Sindar ruins are?" Thomas nodded, smiling as he glanced ahead to the forest break where the ruins and Cutter's house was.

"Yeah, to be honest, I've heard stories about ruins like the ones you and your father guard. Stories about them being used as fortresses by resistance forces against overwhelming odds. Zweig once told me about a castle in Falena called Ceras Lake. It was used by Prince Freyjador Falenas in his struggle against the now defunct Godwin faction over thirty years ago. Apparently he was some researcher who joined the Prince for the sole purpose of studying the Sun Rune and it's children, the Dawn Rune and Twilight Rune and their links to the Sindar. However, due to them being royal runes linked to the royal family and to Falena's history, he wasn't able to learn what he wanted. I guess that's why he's wanted to explore these ruins, there is no telling what artifacts are down there."

Cutter nodded and looked towards the sky. As he began to speak, a harsh grinding noise was heard. He turned and went slackjawed in surprise. There was Viktor, busily sawing away on a large stringed instrument.

"_WHERE THE HELL DID YOU GET A __**CELLO**__?! AND FOR PETE'S SAKE STOP KILLING IT!_"

Viktor looked up at Cutter, eyes narrowing then resumed trying to tune the large stringed instrument.

"When it comes to music, I have many instruments. _YOU_ just lack the talent for enjoying them." Cutter immediately went red-faced.

"_Enjoyment?! The death screams of a banshee are more musical than you! GAH! The only good thing about you playing is that it clears my sinuses! Other than that all it's good for is making people's ears bleed! The only reason I don't break that cello over your head is because the next instrument you pull out might just be a grand piano!_" Viktor placed a hand on his chin thoughtfully.

"A grand piano? Ah! An excellent idea! Perhaps maybe also a pipe organ ensamble! Perhaps I can find a few other bards with violins and other instruments. Or...perhaps I could find some DoReMi elves or something mundane like that."

Thomas laughed at Cutter's expression as it changed from one of shock, to regret, than to exasperation as Viktor spoke. A rustling noise nearby caught Thomas' attention as well as Michael's. He sobered up long enough to frown and draw his weapon.

"Get ready! Monsters incoming!"

Thomas drew his longsword, Cutter his bladestaff, Michael readied his katana, and Viktor carefully set the cello down and drew his throwing knives.

The bushes shook one more time and out jumped four Blade Bunnies, a strange rabbit-like monster that could wield an axe-like blade. Normally they were a Grassland pest but during the winter months they migrate south. Tonnan Forest is one of the few places in the mining country or Tinto that they could live, as is such the woods were crawling with them. Michael attacked the closest one, killing it. A bunny jumped towards Viktor who thankfully dodged it and counter-attacked. Cutter and Thomas attacked the last two and finished the fight. Viktor turned and half smiled at Thomas.

"Is it me or are these things getting weaker every day?" Cutter laughed.

"These things aren't getting weaker, we're getting stronger, also it doesn't hurt that we've memorized Blade Bunny attack patterns. For weapon wielding monsters they sure are dumb." Michael nodded.

"Viktor is right about one thing however, the monsters seem to be weaker, for a moment before the attack I saw there were actually _five_ Blade Bunnies but one of them dropped dead in the bushes. The monsters are sick for some reason." Thomas thought on this for a moment then had a thought occur to him.

"Michael, you said that a lot of the Tinto mining companies dump the rock slurry into rivers and streams near their sites right? Could there be a river near here?" Michael nodded grimly.

"I'm sure of it, Tinto is mainly mountainous terrain so forests like this are few and far between. The only way a forest like this could live is due to a river being either nearby or running through the middle. Cutter, you said you and your father have explored the greater part of this forest, are there any rivers nearby?"

Cutter thought for a moment then shook his head.

"No, there are no rivers nearby but I do seem to recall something about an underground channel the runs through here somewhere but the entrances are nowhere near here. The closest opening to the underground caverns are near the Tinto Mountains. Why are we worried about the health of these monsters anyway? If they're sick and easier to defeat that just makes travelling a little more easier. The ruins and home are nearby; let's just get out of this forest and see what all the fuss is about at the ruins."

Everyone nodded and continued towards the forest break and the Sindar ruins.

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"_Finally!_ We're here!" Sighed Cutter as he caught first sight of both his house and the Sindar Ruins entrance nearby.

Thomas saw the small wooden house and the massive stoneworks of the ruins, he also saw piles of cut stone and wooden support beams nearby. The workers he had hired to brace the ruins all nodded when they saw him and the group. The foreman ran over to him, with Cutter's father beside him.

"Mr. Cree, it's good to see you again. As you can see we have finished a good deal of the reinforcement and the ruins are now structurally sound. Honestly, the ruins stood fine on their own. According to Mr. Navan here, there ruins only began to fall apart after that huge earthquake a few years back."

A loud shout was heard and everyone turned to see three workers hauling out one of their own from the ruins. The foreman scowled and walked over to them.

"What's going on?!" The three men tossed their fellow to the ground, one of the men stepped forward.

"We caught Cal trying to steal something from the ruins."

"Is this true Cal? You know I ordered no looting of these ruins, if I caught any such activities the consequences would be dire."

The man remained tight lipped but otherwise gave no other indication. The foreman nodded sadly.

"Take him away."

The men picked up the man and took him to a makeshift building nearby. The foreman caught a glimpse of Thomas' curiosity.

"Cal was my apprentice. I have no family of my own so upon my death he would have become the foreman. He's a good lad, knows his way around a building and a scaffold and he knows his tools. He's the closest thing to a son I have."

Thomas watched as the men entered the building and vanished.

"They were too eager to betray one of their own." The foreman looked at him.

"What do you mean?"

"I noticed that they said he stole an artifact yet he did not have anywhere to put it. How many cases of theft or attempted theft have you had to deal with?" The foreman shrugged.

"Not many. After the first time it happened, I had the man kicked off the job and sent home. The people here need the work so to be kicked off a job means they are denied their pay. Plus, the only thing everyone remembers about the Sindar race is that their artifacts are worth a lot of money. No one seems to care whether or not they pick up a piece of armor, a weapon or even some old piece of household equipment. Torches are the only light source down there so in the dark you couldn't tell one object for another. Perhaps he was simply reaching for a tool and accidentally grabbed an artifact of some sort. Are you saying that _**they**_are the thieves and not Cal?" Thomas shook his head.

"I do not make random accusations. I _will_ however, begin the search of the ruins as soon as all the men are cleared. Who are those men there?" Thomas asked as he pointed to several armed and armored individuals.

"Oh them? Members of some mercenary brigade I hired to keep the mosters down there off my workers. They assure me that the monsters in the accessable areas are all dealt with however, there are the areas that are still sealed off. I know you are well defended sir, still, have these men go with you for extra protection." Viktor grunted sharply.

"Thomas, if it's all the same to you, I get nervous in close spaces. Plus, I doubt Sindar walls will be very accoustic. I'll remain up here."

"Are you sure? Exploring Sindar ruins is a once in a lifetime chance?"

"_Very_ sure. Although if you find any Sindar instruments down there, do bring me one or two." Thomas laughed.

"I'm only going down there to explore, not treasure hunt. Besides, I wouldn't know what a Sindar instrument looks like."

Viktor looked disappointed but nonetheless nodded.

"Good luck then Thomas, I expect one of the mercenaries there is a map maker?" The foreman came up.

"Unfortunately no, this is the first time anyone has bothered simply exploring the ruins completely, one of the mercenaries with you will, however, be making a crude map. It will be some time before we can get a cartographer here to map the ruins completely." Thomas nodded then turned back to his frineds.

"Okay everyone, let's get ready to-"

A loud '_bang_' sounded from the ruins and several people came out coughing and hacking. The foreman went pale and ran to the men.

"What happened?!" One of the men took a breath and spoke through his coughing fit.

"We *_cough_* thought to try and clear some *_cough_* rubble on the second level*_cough_**_cough_*. O-One of the *_cough_* braces broke *_cough_* the path to the third level is sealed *_cough_*. T-There are m-men still trapped below."

"Organize the men to clear the rubble! Hurry!" Another man spoke.

"Sir, there are still monsters down on the third level."

"I thought the mercenaries had cleared all the levels we uncovered! Did I miss something?!" The mercenary leader came up.

"W-We thought we cleared the third level. More monsters must have come out after we left." At that moment, a commotion came from the makeshift guard house and out came Cal, with a spear in hand.

"The mercenaries lie! They struck a deal with several of the workers, we repair the ruins, they split the loot from the ruins with them! The leader said the best and most expensive stuff was on the lowest levels, the collapse was likely a diversion to loot the level!"

The mercenary leader snarled, then drew his sword and with a quick slash, cut down the foreman.

"I'm going below! Men, butcher these fools, make it look like a bandit raid!" As their leader took off towards the ruins, the mercenaries laughed and drew their blades. Thomas growled and drew his sword.

Michael darted in locked blades with one of the mercs, Viktor threw two knives at a another one, killing him. Cutter and his father took out another two. A yell got Thomas' attention and he saw a merc charging at him. Suddenly a spearpoint burst out from his armor and he fell, revealing Cal who gave the spear a fierce twist and then withdrew the weapon. Turning, Thomas ran over to Michael and helped him dispatch his opponent.

A few of the workers who were apparently under the employ of the mercenaries started fighting as well, some were armed with tools some picked up the fallen mercenary weapons. The workers, however, didn't have the skills or experiance of the mercenaries and fell quickly. All except one who, clutching a deep wound on his arm, dropped his weapon and kneeled. Cal was immediately at his throat with the spear.

"Why? Why did you betray us? Was the money you were promised not enough?! Now, _NOW_, the foreman who was to pay you lies dead and you have no hope of surviving this. You dishonorable cur!" The man whimpered and began to tear up.

"Please, I did not know it would go this far, th-the mercenaries promised me enough money to move my family to somewhere else like Zexan or Dunan. With the money they promised from the ruins I could ensure my sons did not have to work in the mines no more and that we could live like normal people. Have mercy."

Cal snarled and readied for a final strike, however, Thomas was there.

"No. There is no need for this." Cal turned to him.

"This traitor is with the ones who murdered the closest thing I had to a father. My real father abandoned me and left me to die in the wilderness. This bastard is just like the others, they deserve no mercy." Thomas grimaced.

"Maybe so, but judgement does not fall to us, if he does have a family then you condemn them to a life of misery. Hatred begets only hatred. An act of mercy can come back to you some day." Cal growled but withdrew the spear. The man got up still clutching the wound. Navan approached him., his right hand glowing with a light blueish color.

"I will heal that wound. After that, leave this place and remember the mercy shown you this day. _Water Rune: Kindness Drop_."

The water rune glowed and produced a small cloud over the man, and a few drops of glowing water fell from the cloud onto his arm. Within a few moments, the wound was completely closed and healed. Thanking them profusely, the man departed running as fast as he could. After taking a few calming breaths, Cal looked towards Thomas remembering something.

"Mr. Cree, er, Thomas, I remembered seeing something down there in the lower levels of the ruins. I don't exactly know what it was that I saw but it's something that they cannot be allowed to steal." Cutter looked at Thomas.

"I know you said this was exploration not looting but still, do we want anything in there to end up for sale in the black markets and end up in some noble's collection? Why not take the artifacts in there and once we know that no more looters will steal them, my dad and I can figure out what to do with them." Thomas nodded.

"Better in our hands than in the hands of looters. Cal, show us the ruins." Cal nodded.

"If you will please follow me Thomas. Um, Viktor, is it? Are you going to stay up here or go down there?"

"I-I'll stay up here and guard the entrance and stop any looters who may try to come up through." Navan nodded.

"I concur, the one thing that the mercs said that was true is that torchlight is the only light source down there. It would be easy to overlook someone hiding in the shadows and slip by you. I'll stay here too." Cutter nodded.

"Okay dad, I'll go down with them. I'm actually kind of curious as to what is down there."

"Take care son, and watch where you step."

"Right dad."

Taking one last look at Viktor and his father, Cutter caught up with the group and together they descended down into the dark ruins of Sindar.

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Okay everyone, here's the first chapter. I really hope y'all like it. As always please review and let me know how I'm doing and thank you for reading.


	3. Raiders of the Lost Sindar Ruins

**Hey everybody, I just finished pressing out the new chapter! Well, gardening time has come and gone. We had a good enough harvest unfortunately some out of season downpours flattened the corn, not that I'm complaining since we need the rain in summer; go figure. Anyway, things have kind of smoothed out and now I can actually type something without my nephews looking over my shoulders. They will soon be starting back to school and I'll still be at home on my computer and taking care of my folks. **

**Well, enough with my gardening woes, on with the story!**

**DISCLAIMER: I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING IN THE SUIKODEN UNIVERSE. ONLY MY OCS.**

**Chapter 2: Raiders of the Lost Sindar Ruins**

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Despite the supposedly soundness of the ruins, Thomas couldn't help but jump whenever he heard one of the giant support timbers creak or groan. He had heard from Zweig that all types of undead monsters usually made Sindar ruins their home. Adding to his suspense was the occasional _drip...drip...drip_ of some sort of moisture in the ruins. His mind had half convinced him that these ruins were still haunted. They were still on the first level but according to Cal they were almost at the stairs down. Despite his nerves and the sharp coldness of the ruins, he continued forward.

They had cleared the first level already with ease and at least the mercenaries had been truthful in saying they'd cleared the upper level, but none of the group was taking a chance on the levels below the first. Despite this, Thomas remained nervous.

Occasionally, he would cast a glance at a suspicious looking corner or a fallen piece of the ruins expecting a skeleton or some such monster to appear at any time. Cutter noticed this and eased up behind him and grabbed his shoulder. Thomas went dead pale and yelled as loud as he could. Cutter jumped back as Thomas drew his sword and slashed at the spot where Cutter had been.

The sound of the steel striking steel and then a gurgling cry was all the warning they had before a group of the traitorous mercenaries ran out of the shadows at them, minus the one Thomas had just gutted.

There were six mercenaries against the four of them. Michael charged at one who was running for Thomas who was trying to unstick his blade from the torso of the mercenary he had killed. Cutter and Cal double-teamed another. Thomas finally got his blade unstuck just in time to parry an attack from another merc. He riposted, the sword point easily piercing the chainmail and the enemy's heart.

A mercenary came at Michael and with sheer brute strength, batted Michael's katana away and slashed him across the arm. As the merc raised his sword for the death-blow, Thomas was there, blocking the sword stroke and on the backswing decapitating the enemy. Thomas then turned to his friend and bodyguard and tossed him a potion. Michael popped off the cork and drank the potion in a few quick swallows. Almost instantly, the cut on his arm began to close and the bleeding stopped. There wasn't even a scar left.

As Thomas turned, an arrow whizzed by his head, the wind from it stirring his hair and clanked off a wall. Cutter, seeing the archer, grasped his bladestaff in an unusual manner, spun it, and threw it towards the archer. The archer stood dumbfounded even as the flying weapon cut him in half with one smooth stroke, then, as if by magic, the spinning blade made a loop and flew right back to Cutter's hands.

Cal was fighting the last enemy merc. The enemy was apparentlt trained on how to use both a spear and shield and was using the shield to block Cal's attacks while simultaneously countering with his spear. Michael frowned, then lifted his left hand.

"_Fire Rune: Flaming Arrows!_"

The Fire Rune on his left hand glowed bright red and a series of fiery arrows appeared and hurtled towards the spearman who lifted his shield in a futile attempt to block them. The fire arrows burned through the shield and hit the spearman, setting him on fire. As he turned around screaming, Cal flipped his spear up and threw it like a javelin. The spear flew true and struck the man in the chest, killing him and saving him the painful fate of burning alive.

Thomas looked at the others and sighed.

"That was a close one. Anyone hurt?"

To his relief, everyone answered in the negative. Other than Michael's previous injury, there had been no other wounds recieved. Cal whistled and pointed towards the blocked off path to the third level; Cutter cursed.

"Damn them! They really _did_ collapse the path. Looks like we'll have to explore around for another area."

"Meaningless wandering around won't solve anything except allow the brigands to get away with the treasures they seek." Came a voice that no one recognized.

Instantly, everyone drew their weapons and turned to face the direction from whence the voice came. The sound of heavy footsteps echoed on the stone floors and out of the shadows came a tall middle-aged man with sun-bleached blonde hair, wearing heavy leather boots, grey trousers, and a dull red surcoat. His glasses reflected the dim torchlight and the metallic bo staff he carried with him made a sharp tapping as he moved towards them. Thomas immediately recognized him.

"Zweig! How did you get down here?" Zweig chuckled wryly.

"I'm not one for sharing my secrets, but let's just say your mercenaries saw just another worker to reinforce these crumbling ruins. Now then, true the short path to the third level is blocked but I've managed to roughly map the ruins. There is a small corridor this way that leads to a staircase to the third level, however..." Michael frowned.

"Let me guess. There's something there?" Zweig nodded.

"My best guess is that the group blocking the stairs are trapped in another section of the level either directly or nearby the room the mercenaries are looting. There are sounds indicating they are planning to dig their way out from the third level. Either way, the group is might upset that their leader sealed them in that area after making his way to the treasure room. The upside is that the leader only has four mercenaries guarding him. The rest are workers. The group at the stais is six, maybe eight men strong." Thomas scratched his chin.

"Perhaps there is a way to thin their numbers before we attack?" Zweig nodded.

"It just so happens that I have a spell scroll with me for a Wind Rune. I'll let you use it as long as I get to come along with you. In my experience, lower levels of Sindar Ruins usually hold unique and interesting treasures. Some have even been known to hold legendary or even mythical runes. There are also a few accounts of them holding one of the twenty-seven True Runes. So...do we have a deal?"

Thomas looked at his friends and nodded.

"We really don't have much of a choice do we?" Zweig smiled and nodded.

"Not if you want to fight all those mercenaries and then fight their commander and whatever else is down there. Don't let the robes and glasses fool you, I _can_ and _have_ fought before. Though, it has been some time. Still, just follow me and I'll guide you to the path I discovered."

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Thomas, Zweig and the others stood on the flight of stairs just outside the room. Thomas could hear the cursing and swearing the mercenaries were doing and pounding on the jammed door to the vault. The rapping and tapping of pickaxes was very easy to hear coming from the other side. Thomas looked at Zweig who nodded and then took out a small, rolled up piece of paper bound with a purple ribbon. Zweig unwrapped the ribbon and held up the scroll.

"_Wind Rune Scroll: Winds of Sleep_."

The scroll desolved to a fine purple vapor that blew into the room.

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The Lieutenant was pissed that the Commander left them here in this room to rot while _he_ made off with whatever treasures were in the vault. The Sergeant just groaned as the Liuetenant continually banged his fist agains the door trying to force it open. Finally, he'd had enough.

"Lieutenant! We need to get out of the ruins and maybe we can find where their hole will surface." The Lieutenant wheeled on him, face full of rage.

"NO! We are not going _anywhere_ Sergeant! Not while that traitorous wretch is in _there_ looting _my_ treasure! I did not come this far just to abandon it! Now either help me open this door or I'll...I'll..._yawn_"

The Lieutenant closed his eyes and fell flat on his face, sound asleep. The Sergeant turned to the other mercenaries who were also yawning and falling asleep. He suddenly felt the compulsion himself.

(_What harm could a nap do anyway? Maybe cooler heads will prevail after a nap._) The Sergeant thought as soon, he too, was out cold on the stone floor.

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Zweig smiled at his handiwork as the mist dissipated leaving the snoring group of mercenaries in the room. He turned to Thomas and the others.

"Now, then. Who's up for seeing what's behind door number one?"

Zweig examined the door and then sighed.

"Idiots...this Sindar door is so simple even a child could open it...let's see...this goes here, and this...turns to here...and...done."

The door creaked open slowly revealing a short pathway leading to a large chamber. Cautiously, the group advanced forward and could still hear the banging of pickaxes, but now also the voices of men, laughing about the loot they now had. As Thomas peeked around the corner, he indeed saw that Zweig was telling the truth. The Commander had only four men with him and the workers were busily working at a hole they'd dug in the wall. Zweig went red-faced seeing this.

"_Damn them! How __**dare**__ they deface and destroy Sindar ruins in this manner! Thomas, let's get them!_"

The group charged around the corner and caught the mercenaries by surprise. The Commander turned and gaped at them like a fish out of water.

Zweig cracked a mercenary over the head with his staff while Michael cleaved one almost in half. Cutter spun the bladestaff around and literally disarmed his opponent before also beheading him. Cal parried a hasty chop from his axe wielding opponent and pierced him through the collarbone.

The Commander drew his sword and ran away from the melee, however, Thomas was right behind him. Without warning, the Commander turned and struck with the sword. Thomas, ever light on his feet, dodged the attack and countered, leaping off a fallen rock and striking the Commander with his fist, breaking his nose. The Commander glared at him.

"You whelp! Do you think you can best me?" The Commander changed his grip on the blade and lunged, putting all his strength behind the blade.

Thomas calmly sidestepped the attack and brought the pommel down on the man's left shoulder. The Commander groaned in pain.

"Damn...shoulda seen that comin'."

Thomas readied his blade and attacked. He parried a half-hearted block and slashed the Commander across the thigh and on a second strike cut a bloody gash up his arm.

Bleeding severely and weakened, the Commander tried to catch his breath. Thomas, seeing his chance, struck one final blow shattering the Commander's sword and also cutting through the man's armor. The Commander fell without uttering a word.

The workers, hearing the commotion, came out of the tunnel and paled when they saw Thomas and the others, especially an angry Cal and a downright furious Zweig. Cal began to walk towards them when Thomas stepped forward.

"No. We did not come down here for revenge. We came to stop them from stealing artifacts. We have done so. These men will be taken back and put on trial for their crimes. We are not judges. If we kill them, we are no better than the mercenaries we just fought." Cal looked at Thomas as if he'd just sprouted wings, then saw the justice in his words and nodded. Zweig happened to glance at the back of the vault and gasped at what he saw.

"There! In the back!" Thomas looked at where Zweig was pointing and saw a small statuette on a pedistal. It looked like a warrior clad in white, bearing a shield with a strange symbol on it and holding a sword high. An arch was formed over the warrior and a four-pointed star hung over the him. Thomas looked and examined the statue.

"It's incredible. I don't think I've ever seen a statuette like this before. I wonder...Zweig, have you ever seen something like this before?" Zweig nodded.

"Indeed. There are known as Sealing Statues. They are used to seal runes of great power and importance. However, what rune is currently sealed I do not know...perhaps..."

At that moment however, the statue glowed and the star began giving off beams of light. Thomas lifted his left hand to shield his eyes from the light as one of the beams fell on him. Then, to everyone's surprise, the light beams gravitated towards Thomas and enveloped him in bright, yet soft blue-silver light. His left hand also began to glow. Then, the statue disintigrated and the light ceased. Thomas looked at his hand and saw a rune had been etched into the flesh of his hand: a four-pointed star that 'radiated' light. Immediately, Zweig was there with a massive book, flipping through the pages like a madman looking for something. His eyes were wide and his breathing rapid, Yet, as he neared the end of the book, he sighed.

"It's not in here. Whatever that rune is, it isn't known to me or any book I have on runes. I can tell you right now it's not a basic elemental rune, nor is it weapon rune. Maybe it has something to do with the light?" Thomas shrugged, but before he could say anything, the ruins began to shake. Timbers cracked and creaked and pieces of the ceiling began to fall and crash to the floor. Cal paled and looked up.

"The supports have failed! We must leave the ruins now!" Thomas looked at the workers and yelled.

"All of you, run! Follow us to the surface! Quickly!"

The group ran out of the vault and up the stairs. Then they crossed the second level without incident and made it halfway across the first level. Cutter picked up the pace and sprinted ahead; then, the unthinkable happened.

The floor opened up right under Cutter's feet and he jumped, just barely grabbing a ledge. Thomas ran around the hole and grabbed his free hand and pulled. He could see the terror on Cutter's face as the floor tile he was holding onto broke, leaving him dangling and clutching only Thomas' hand, but his grip was giving.

Then, a piece of rock fell from the roof and struck Thomas on the head, knocking him out. His hand relaxed and Cutter, rather than let them both fall, released Thomas' hand and fell down into the chasm that had opened up beneath him.

Michael had tried to reach Thomas and Cutter but more holes in the floor made that impossible. As the others sprinted for the exit, Michael jumped over a hole, slung Thomas over his shoulders and made a dead sprint for the exit. They got out just as the entryway collapsed, sealing the ruins for good.

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Thomas came to outside the ruins. After a moment of groginess, he suddenly remembered what happened and sat bolt upright, a movement which pained him because of his head being bandaged. He turned to the ruins and saw Navan, on his knees, weeping silently.

Nearby were members of the Tinto military who had the workers and a few mercenaries who had slipped out of the ruins trussed up nearby like chickens going to market. Viktor was nearby gazing at the ruins with deep sorrow in his eyes. Michael and Cal were speaking with the commander of the Tinto group and Zweig was nearby, apparently deep in thought. He groaned once, and that was enough to get Zweig's attention. He turned and whistled, which in turn got Michael's and Viktor's attentions.

Michael ran over to check on Thomas.

"How're you feeling?" Thomas gave him a flat look.

"How do you think? I lose my best friend and suffer the mother-of-all-headaches." Michael nodded.

"I saw what you did and explained to Navan that it wasn't your fault. He knows it wasn't; it was the fault of _those_ bastards there. They admitted to rushing the supports when the mercenary commander told them of treasure below. The bracing wasn't done properly. Anyway, the Tinto guards are here to take them away for trial. Also, a courier for the company arrived; apparently, Falena is now interested in accepting us as a trade buisness. No idea what brought that on but I guess we should thank our lucky stars for it." Thomas sighed.

"I-I don't feel like doing any company work yet...maybe after a while." Michael nodded understandingly and left, leaving Thomas to mourn his fallen comrade.

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**Okay so here is Chapter 2 of Suikoden: Eclipse. So, Thomas finds a mysterious rune and Cutter falls to his death. What happens next? I'll update as soon as I can.**

**As always, please rate and review. Launces Mechanist signing off.**


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